3D bioprinting refers to the printing of biological materials (including natural biological materials and synthetic biological materials or cellular solutions) into a designed three-dimensional structure through the principles and methods of 3D printing. Differing from those printed by ordinary 3D printing technology, the biological tissues or organs produced by 3D bioprinting technology have certain biological functions and need to provide conditions for the further growth of cells and tissues. Exactly due to the aforementioned characteristics, the 3D bioprinting technology is confronted with many specific technical problems in development.
In the field of 3D bioprinting, the print technique of taking cells as a printing material is referred to as cell three-dimensional printing technology. People may utilize cells and biocompatible materials to make bio-ink. The spray head moves and sprays the bio-ink, and the movement of the spray head is controlled by a program to print the bio-ink. The bio-ink is printed and molded according to a three-dimensionally constructed digital model of a preset target print object.
The disadvantages of the prior art lie in that:
1. The bio-ink made from a biocompatible material has a high viscosity and a comparatively poor fluidity. It is prone to the problem of clogging near the spray head during the printing, which affects the printing efficiency.
2. In such process that the existing 3D bioprinting device directly sprays the cells to the printing platform at the spray head, due to the influence of the mechanical force in the printing process, the cells in the bio-ink may be significantly damaged, and the survival rate of the cells is difficult to guarantee, so as to affect the construction of a biological construct.